Improvement in needles for sewing-machines



i. B. BLANCH'ARD.

Needle for Sewing Machines.

. Pa tented May 31, 1870'.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOSEPH BOND BLANGHARD, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

IMPROVEMENT IN NEEDLES FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 103,549, dated May 31, 1870.

Toall whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JosEPH BOND BLANCH- ARD, of Boston, in the county of Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have made an invention of a newand useful Needle for Sewing- Machines; and I do hereby declare the following description to embrace the nature of said invention and the manner in which the same is to be performed, such description being illustrated by the accompanying draw-' ings, which consist of front elevation in Figure 1 and side elevation in Fig. 2, Fig. 3 being a section of its lower part.

This invention or improvement, like others of its/class, is intended to facilitate and expedite the threading of a sewing-machine needle-a result alike advantageous to those whose eye-sight is imperfect or failing, as well as to those possessing good eye-sight, but often obliged to thread a needle in poor light or in haste, the operation in both cases being effected in a fraction of the time required to effect it as of old.

I am aware that previous to the origin of my piesent invention various modes have been adopted for effecting an opening or entrance to. the eye of a needle; butall have proved more or less ineflicient, as well as difticult and expensive to manufacture.

Among several inventions of open-eyed needles, the character of which more or less approximates to that herein explained, is one exhibited in Letters Patent of the United States No. 37,996, and issued on the 24th day of March, 1863, to A. I. Ambler. This patented needle of Am blers has a lateral orifice leading directly into the eye without deviation or irregularity, the result of which is to permit the thread constantly to escape from the eye with of course injurious effects. This direct open ing into the eye, as shown in Amblers patent, is a very economical one to produce, and allows an instant threading of the needle, and but for the liability of escape of the thread would leave nothing to be desired in the way of a self-threading needle, so called. The tendency to permit escape of the thread renders Amblers needle impracticable, if not valueless; and the object I have had in view in originating the needle embodying the subject of this patent has been to secure the advantages of a direct opening into the eye, with security against clandestine escape of thread therefrom, and to effect my purpose I cut through one side of the eye of a needle a passage, which, while being in one sense a'direct one, nevertheless prevents escape of the thread.

The drawings before alluded to as accompanying this specification, and which illustrate my invention, represent at a a sewing-machine needle, of which b is the shank, c the point, and d the eye.

In carrying my invention into practice Icut or form through the wall of the needle, opposite the eye, a slot, such slot extending into the eye of the needle at a right angle, or nearly so, to the ncedles length, but curved from one edge of the wall to the other, and in the direction ofthe length of the eye through the needle. The passage 6 is curved in order that the thread, once having been passed through it to the eye, cannot escape therefrom during the ordinary movements of the needle. This result is attained by the formation of the slot 0, which upon both its outer and itsinner edges is curved in the direction of its length, so as to present the pointsf, g, and h, by which the thread, in any of the positions it usually as sumes, is effectually prevented during the various movements of the needle from passing out of the slot. By making the slot in the form of an arc of a circle it may be readily produced'by means of a revolving cutter or endless saw fixed to a rotary disk.

My present invention possesses the characteristics of economy in manufacture, efl'ectivenessinoperation,andofenablingthethreading of a needle to be instantaneously effected.

Having described myinvention,what1 claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

A sewing-needle having a lateral slot or opening, 0, leading to the eye and curved in the direction of its length, substantially as described, so as to present the pointsf, g, and h for the purpose of preventing the escape of the thread from the eye, as set forth.

JOSEPH BOND BLANCIIARD.

Witnesses:

FRED. CURTIS, E. GRIFFITH. 

